'Are you serious?' Labour's Ashworth dismantled by Hartley-Brewer in furious radio NHS row

LABOUR's Jonathan Ashworth received a brutal slapdown of his criticism of the Government's latest immigration rule to charge migrant workers from outside the EEA to use NHS services by radio host Julia Hartley-Brewer.

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Under new immigration rules, workers coming to the UK from outside the European Economic Area are required to pay the fee in order to be able to use the health service. The NHS surcharge costs £300 per year for student visas and £400 per year for all other visa and immigration applications, according to the Government's website. Debating the latest immigration plans approved by Boris Johnson's Government and Parliament, Labour's Jonathan Ashworth and TalkRADIO host Julia Hartley-Brewer came to a brutal clash.

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The Labour frontbencher claimed migrant workers should not be asked to pay for the surcharge as the “NHS is reliant on migrant recruitment” and “we should thank the people who come from across the world to care for our sick and elderly”. As the radio host asked “why should we”, Mr Ashworth continued: “They are doing a tremendous service”.

In response, Ms Hartley-Brewer blasted: “But Jonathan, with all due respect, do you seriously think someone is sitting in India or in the Philippines thinking ‘what I really want to do is go and help the good people of Britain and save their NHS’?

“People come to Britain to make a new life for themselves, to get work that they want to do and they’re paid for it.

“We’ve got to stop sanctifying people who are just doing their job.

“I’m the daughter of an NHS GP, I’m not criticising NHS workers wherever they come from, from Britain or abroad.

“But let’s stop this idea that people are coming to this country to save our NHS.

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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "Boris Johnson is right to have U-turned and backed our proposal to remove the NHS charge for health professionals and care workers.

"This is a victory for common decency and the right thing to do. We cannot clap our carers one day and then charge them to use our NHS the next."

The U-turn came hours after Downing St insisted the Prime Minister was standing by the surcharge.

It also came a day after another U-turn when the Government extended a scheme offering indefinite leave to remain to the families of all NHS staff who die as a result of contracting coronavirus.

Care workers, cleaners and porters had originally been left out of the scheme, which only applied to certain occupations including nurses, biochemists and radiographers.

On Friday, Downing Street suggested the Prime Minister's U-turn on the immigration health surcharge will not be backdated to refund those who had already paid.

His official spokesman said: "I don't believe so, that isn't the usual practice."

Asked if other frontline workers could be exempted from the charge, he said: "It is fair to expect people arriving in the UK to work in non-health roles who might use the NHS to make a contribution towards the NHS services available to them."